JAY JAY POV
I spent the entire day giving Keifer the cold shoulder. Every time he tried to catch my eye or lean in to say something, I suddenly found something very important to do on my phone or became deeply interested in whatever Mia was saying. I could feel his frustration radiating off him in waves, but I didn't budge.
Now, I was finally back at the "Mariano Fortress." I had just barely touched my bed when my mom's voice echoed up the stairs.
"Jay Jay, honey! Can you please come downstairs?"
I sat up, narrowing my eyes at the door. Whenever she used that high-pitched, "everything is perfect" tone, it usually meant the exact opposite. They did something, I muttered to myself. I knew that tone—it was the sound of a trap being set.
I dragged myself off the bed and headed down. When I reached the living room, I found my parents sitting there, looking way too relaxed.
"What?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe with my arms crossed.
"Nothing, dear. We just want to spend some quality family time together," Mama said, patting the seat next to her with a forced smile.
I looked at her, then at my dad, waiting for the other shoe to drop. In this house, "family time" was usually just a code word for "we have a business announcement that involves your life."
"What do you guys want?" I asked, my voice flat.
"Well, honey, I was just thinking... you know the Hanamitchi's son, Yuri, right?" Mom asked, her tone way too casual.
I nodded, bracing myself. Right on cue, Yuri stepped into the room.
"Actually, Aunty, I think I should be the one to say this," Yuri said, looking at my mom with a polished smile.
"Of course, son," Papa replied, giving him an encouraging nod.
Yuri turned to me, looking me dead in the eye. "Well, Jay, I saw you at a wedding last month," he started. "And I fell in love with you."
"So what?" I snapped.
"Jay Jay!" Papa warned, his voice sharpening.
I just rolled my eyes and waited for the punchline.
"Well, because I love you, I told my parents, and then my parents talked to yours," Yuri continued.
"And what exactly did they talk about?" I asked, my heart starting to race with a bad feeling.
"We're engaged now," Yuri said simply.
The world seemed to stop. I stared at him, then whipped my head around to look at my parents. I was completely shell-shocked.
"He's a wonderful person, honey," Mom chimed in, as if she were recommending a new brand of tea.
"Wait, wait, wait... what?" I asked, my voice rising until I was almost yelling.
"Jay Jay, you are engaged to Yuri now," Papa stated firmly. "He's a fine young man and a future CEO. Your life will be beautiful."
A hysterical laugh escaped my throat. I couldn't help it. "OMG," I said, laughing through the pure absurdity of it. "I know exactly what this is about! This is about your business, isn't it?" I yelled at them.
"JAY JAY, control your voice!" Mom hissed, her face tightening with every word I spoke.
"What are you guys getting in return for ruining my life?" I demanded, the tears starting to blur my vision. "What's the price tag on me this time?"
"Jay—" Yuri started, stepping toward me with a concerned look that made my skin crawl.
"Shut the fuck up and don't you dare interrupt me while I'm talking!" I snapped at him.
"JAY JAY!" Mom yelled, her composure finally breaking.
"WHAT?" I yelled back, my voice cracking. "Is it a new merger? A stock increase? What?"
"Enough, Jay. This is finalized," Papa said, his voice like a gavel striking a block.
"Finalized? What, that you can just ruin my life?" I asked them, my chest heaving. "I'm eighteen! In what world do you think you can just sign me away?"
"Jay, I don't understand you. This will help you," Mom said, reaching out as if she were trying to calm an animal. "You'll have security, status—"
"NO, Mom! This doesn't help me! This helps you and your fucking business!" I shrieked.
"Jay, control it," Papa warned, his face turning a dangerous shade of red.
"Who are you guys to tell me what to do and who to marry?" I challenged, stepping into the center of the room. "You don't even know me!"
"We're your parents," Papa stated firmly.
"Wow. Parents," I echoed, my voice dripping with bitter irony. "Great. Fine. If you really know your daughter so well, then please, Mr. Mariano... can you tell me exactly what your daughter is allergic to? And tell me, what sports does she play?"
The room went dead silent. Papa opened his mouth, but nothing came out. "Well, see... it's..." He trailed off, looking at my mom for help.
I crossed my arms, digging my nails into my skin to keep from sobbing right in front of them. "What about you, Mrs. Mariano?"
Mom looked shocked, her eyes darting around the room as she searched her memory for basic facts about the girl she raised. She looked completely lost.
I let out a bitter, jagged smile. Then I turned to the intruder. "What about you, Mr. Fiancé? You 'fell in love' with me, right? So tell me."
Yuri looked just as knocked out as my parents. He stuttered, trying to find an answer that wasn't there.
"She is extremely allergic to raspberries and blackberries," a familiar, gravelly voice vibrated through the room. "She could die if she has even a taste of them."
We all whipped our heads toward the front door.
Standing there in his worn hoodie, his eyes dark with a mixture of fury and something that looked like heartbreak, was Keifer. He didn't look like he cared about the luxury of the mansion or the power of the people in it.
"She plays tennis," Keifer continued, stepping further into the house, his gaze locked onto mine. "Though she's better at basketball than she thinks—even if she's too stubborn to admit it."
He looked at my father, then at Yuri, with a look of pure, unadulterated coldness.
"And she's not yours to finalize," he growled.
"Who the hell are you?" Papa roared, his face contorting with rage at the intruder.
"Mark Keifer Watson," Keifer answered, his voice steady but dangerously low. He didn't flinch under my father's glare.
"He's the one I was talking about," Yuri spat, his eyes narrowing as he recognized his rival.
Mom's expression shifted from confusion to disgust. "Oh, that Watson," she sneered, her voice dripping with condescension. "Come on, Jay Jay. I heard from Yuri that you were chasing after some boy who lives in—"
"SHUT UP!" I screamed at her. The air in the room felt like it was vibrating. "Seriously? That is what you're worried about? You should be ashamed of yourself for not knowing a single thing about your own daughter, but here you are, judging him!"
I pointed a trembling finger at her, my heart shattering into a million pieces. The woman who gave birth to me didn't know my allergies, but she knew exactly how to look down on the person I cared about.
Mom's face turned white with fury. She stepped forward and, before I could even blink, her hand connected with my cheek in a sharp, stinging slap.
The force of it sent my head reeling. "Jay Jay!" Keifer reacted instantly, his arms catching me before I could hit the floor.
I leaned into him, the heat of his body the only thing keeping me upright. My cheek burned, but the pain in my chest was worse.
"Think twice before touching her again," Keifer growled at my mother. He pulled me closer, his grip firm and protective, shielding me from the people who were supposed to love me.
"Who are you to tell me what to do with my daughter?" Mom shot back, her voice shrill. "I have every right!"
"Actually, ma'am," Keifer shot back, his eyes flashing like flint, "from what I've checked, she's eighteen. Which means she's an adult. You don't own her anymore."
"Keifer, stay out of this!" Yuri yelled, stepping forward and reaching for Keifer's collar, his "perfect" facade finally cracking into something ugly and desperate.
Keifer didn't even hesitate. He shoved Yuri back with one hand, still keeping his other arm locked around me. Yuri stumbled, crashing into a side table.
"Don't touch me with your filthy hands!" Keifer yelled, his protective instinct overriding everything else.
The room was in total chaos. My father was calling for security, my mother was hyperventilating, and Yuri was scrambling to find his dignity. But none of it mattered. I looked up at Keifer—the boy who told me a kiss was an accident, the boy who couldn't stay away, the boy who knew me better than my own blood.
"Keifer..." I whispered, my fingers digging into the fabric of his hoodie.
He looked down at me, the icy glare in his eyes melting for just a second. "I've got you, Jay. We're leaving."
"JAY JAY, think very carefully before you walk out that door with him!" Papa bellowed from across the room. "The moment you leave, don't you dare think about coming back. You won't be welcome in this house, and you won't show your face to this family ever again!"
Keifer froze at the weight of those words. He looked at me, his voice low and serious. "What do you want, Jay? Think about what you're losing."
"You, Keifer," I said, my voice steady despite the chaos. "I want you. I don't care about their money or this house. Just tell me you love me, and I'm ready to leave all of this behind."
Keifer looked at me, then shifted his gaze to my father. Without a word, he leaned down and kissed me right then and there. I kissed him back, pouring everything I felt into it. I heard my mother gasp in horror, but I didn't care.
Papa lunged forward, physically Shoving us apart. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? WE DIDN'T RAISE YOU TO ACT LIKE THIS!" he screamed, his face purple with rage.
"Exactly, Papa! You didn't raise me!" I yelled back, the truth finally exploding out of me. "The maids raised me! You weren't there for anything, so you don't have the right to decide what I want now!"
"One last chance," Papa said, his voice trembling with fury. "It's him or us. Choose."
I didn't hesitate. I grabbed Keifer's hand, lacing our fingers together tightly. "Keifer," I said, looking my father dead in the eye.
"Then get out," Papa spat. "Don't come back, don't expect us to help you with your life, and don't expect a single cent from this family."
I didn't say another word. I simply nodded, turned my back on them, and walked out the door with Keifer.
We stepped off the porch and onto the sidewalk, the heavy front door thudding shut behind us like a final heartbeat. The silence of the night was a sharp contrast to the screaming match we had just left behind.
"You just got kicked out of the house," Keifer said, his voice quiet as he looked at the massive Mariano mansion, then back at me. He sounded like he was still trying to process the fact that I had just traded a billion-dollar inheritance for a boy in a hoodie.
"And you admitted you loved me," I shot back, a defiant smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. The sting on my cheek was still there, but the weight off my shoulders made me feel like I could fly.
Keifer looked at me, a real, soft smile finally breaking through his "Ice King" exterior. It was the kind of smile he usually reserved only for those rare moments on the basketball court. "Yeah," he said softly. "I guess I did."
"Say it," I nudged him, leaning into his side as we walked toward his car
"Say what?" he teased, though his eyes were dancing.
"That you love me. Say the three magic words," I demanded, stopping in front of the car and looking up at him.
Keifer shook his head, a small chuckle escaping him. He stepped closer, closing the gap between us until I could feel the heat of his breath. He leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear.
"I love you, Jasper Jean Mariano," he whispered. Then he paused, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Or maybe... Jasper Jean Watson."
I felt the heat rush to my face, turning a bright shade of red that probably matched the taillights of my car. My heart skipped a beat at the sound of my name paired with his.
"I love you too, Keifer," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug that felt like coming home.
We were standing on a quiet street with no money, no family, and no plan for tomorrow, but as I looked at Keifer, I knew it wasn't an accident. For the first time in my life, I was exactly where I was meant to be.